COLLUMBUS — Ryan Day will be holding his first Tuesday press conference of the year beginning at 12:00 pm today. Day is expected to provide updates on his football team and also give a preview of Saturday’s contest against Florida Atlantic. We will provide live updates throughout his session. Refresh for updates once the proceedings begin.
Complete Updates
+ This was the only school he would have left the NFL for.
+ Having Branden Bowen on the team is like “having a man on the team.” Like having a professional. He’s a player/coach. “His approach is contagious.”
+ Gunnar Hoak just hasn’t had the number of snaps under his belt, so he doesn’t yet have the grasp as the other guys. But this offense can be tailored to whoever is in.
+ The OSU defense does a nice job of disguising things, but more importantly they take pride in playing fast and they play with passion.
+ Day says when he goes home or comes into work, he turns the radio off and turns his phone off so that he has 20 good, quiet minutes to let his mind wander regarding the team. Recruiting is always number one.
+ There is no target number of carries per game for JK Dobbins, but there will be games where he has to carry it 20 times for sure. He’ll need to be a workhorse and he’s ready for it.
+ Day is excited to see what the Bullet position does for the defense. They bring a fitting skill set. They are asked to do different things, so it will be interesting to see how things develop there.
+ Nerves and anxiety will never go away because there is an expectation here and every game has stakes. That being said, they have done this before and they have prepared well.
+ Day’s involvement in the defensive game planning is “very little.” He trusts his guys. There were certain standards and agreements before they were hired. Those were “non-negotiables.”
+ Branden Bowen’s attitude has been great. He’s always smiling and always working. He has a great approach and is practicing at a high level. Going against the defensive ends that he goes against, “If you’re blocking them, then you’re doing a hell of a job.” Day thinks he will have a great year.
+ You want to see week one to see if the stage is too big for players. He wants to play as many players as he can. That will build the depth as well.
+ Playcalling on offense has been fine. The meetings have gone well. Sometimes there are too many ideas in meetings, which is a good thing. Everybody is on the same page after the meetings. Then Kevin Wilson will add his input, but it will be Ryan Day’s call. “I like to be in control.” It’s a challenge, however, because there is a lot going on. You have to manage the game. Injuries, timeouts. You have to be on top of all of it.
+ Redshirt freshman Javontae Jean-Baptiste has played well. Zach Harrison will play this year. Tyreke Smith and Tyler Friday have played and will be fine. There is a lot of depth there.
+ Day is fired up to watch this defense on Saturday. They have something to prove.
+ The team is practicing at a high level. The linebackers have shown up. The defensive line is penetrating. The secondary is playing at a high level right now. They’re playing with technique and energy.
+ Gene Smith asks “What’s up with that?” regarding Ryan Day shaving his beard. Day mentions that it was a training camp beard that went a little longer than planned.
+ Thayer Munford and Branden Bowen will start at tackle. Josh Alabi and Nick Petit-Frere will get some time this week behind those two as well. Don’t be surprised if Harry Miller sees some time this week as well.
+ Day plans to take a moment every time he runs out of the tunnel to take it in and appreciate where he is.
+ Fields throws it just as good as he runs it, and vice versa.
+ You can’t go into games planning to protect Justin Fields from getting hurt. You don’t want to put him in bad situations, but you have to be able to win the game in the fourth quarter. He has to go play. But the opponents are also a consideration.
+ Mike Yurcich, Kevin Wilson, and Jeff Hafley will be in the press box. Greg Mattison will be on the field. Hafley and Mattison will call the plays together.
+ They have spent a lot of time in the offseason working on ways to be effective in the red zone. Justin Fields’ ability to run will be a weapon down there. It affects the defense and evens the numbers for the offense.
+ Seven to eight offensive linemen will play in the game on Saturday. The guys who deserve to play are going to have an opportunity to play.
+ The same gameday traditions from last year and years before will continue this year. The young guys have learned the fight songs.
+ The three areas where they are focused this year is protecting the ball, blocking, and tackling. It gets stale playing against each other every week in camp, so it will be interesting to see what this team looks like against a new opponent. This is the early stages of the 2019 team.
+ He has a pretty good feel for what Justin Fields is going to do. This will be the first time he is live. He hasn’t been taken to the ground yet. Until you start tackling, that’s when you really figure things out.
+ Per OSU spokesman, Day will not be talking about injuries. Every Friday, Ohio State will issue a status report on players who are out for the game or are game-time decisions. If they are not on the report, then they’re available. Depth charts will be released on Fridays.
+ Lane Kiffin’s offense will create a lot of mismatches for the Ohio State defense. They change tempos and put pressure on defense. The FAU has changed their defensive scheme. They bring a lot of different coverages and different fronts. But at the end of the day, you just have to fire it up and play the game.